Gleanings of the Week Ending December 13, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Drugs in the environment affect plant growth - Water treatment is unable to remove many of the drugs from sewage….so they are showing up in the water supply. This study was about the impact of the drugs (still in low concentrations) on plants - and they did find some changes. It looks like this is another dimension to think about when it comes to sustainability of the planet.

Art That's Made with Snow and Ice - Maybe I’ll try a simple pattern in my backyard when we get a good snow! The spirals appeal to me.

Climate change already showing effects at Kennedy Space Center - Not so surprising since it is right on Florida’s Atlantic coast. We were there in November 2013 and noticed how close much of the visible infrastructure was to the sea. There is a lot of commercial development along that coast too; it will probably face similar challenges.

Finding infant Earths and potential life just got easier - Did you know that Cornell has an Institute for Pale Blue Dots?

What really helps women achieve a good work-life balance? - The problem is broader than a time conflict based on this research. It points to a ‘glass cliff’ phenomenon whereby women and minorities are more likely to be placed in leadership positions which are risky or precarious….which exacerbates any ‘fit’ problems at work and thus impacts the perception of work-life balance.

Food: The rarely-seen robots that package what we eat - Two videos (pancakes and salami processing) and a short explanation. They are much faster and more reliable that people!

A Quick Tour of Germany's National Parks - Wow! Lots to see in Germany.  The post includes links for additional info about each one.

The Wonderful Geometry of Budapest's Spiral Staircases - Dizzying images…also beautiful.

Chesapeake Bay region streams are warming - I live in the watershed for the Chesapeake Bay. All the states have programs to monitor and improve the water quality flowing into the bay. It is challenging with so many things changing.

Early warning signals of abrupt climate change - Signals of a reorganization of the Atlantic ocean’s circulation….bad news. 

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 06, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

12 Ways Airports Are Actually Getting Better - Some good trends. I’ve noticed the increasing number of art work particularly - like the floor mosaics in one of the DFW terminals.

Wanderers - A short video. Wish we were doing more space exploration these days….thrilled that the Orion test flight yesterday was successful.

WHO Report: Climate Change to Cause 250,000 “Extra Deaths” a Year by 2030 - Not good.

This Linguistic Family Tree Is Simply Gorgeous - It’s only the Indo-European languages….not all the world’s languages. It would be interesting to see all of them in this same format

Apple Crisp - Yum. I have some apples in my refrigerator I need to use up quickly….this will be a good way to use them!

The Chemistry of Poinsettia Plants - Did you know that the pigment in the red leaves changes color with pH? This could be a project to try as your poinsettia sheds its petals!

Losing air: barrage of small impacts likely erased much of the Earth’s primordial atmosphere - Since I am in the middle of an ‘Origins’ course on Coursera - I am noting this type article more. There is geochemical evidence that Earth’s atmosphere may have been completely obliterated at least twice since its formation. This research investigates a possible mechanism.

Citizen science increases environmental awareness, advocacy - Talking and thinking are enhanced by doing when it comes to really understanding something. It happens is so many areas of life.

New Model of Media Consumption in 'Age of Interruption' - 15 hours a day is the average…that is almost every waking hour! I’m disappointed that they did not have statistics for the ‘retired’ segment of the US population. The average hours are a bit high for me (very high on days that I am leading nature hikes!) and the distribution (at least for me) is heavily skew toward computer (tablet and laptop) rather than the other types of media….largely because of courses, ebooks and the amount of writing I like to do. And there is another difference too - I am not sedentary in front of my laptop when I am at home (Swopper chair).

The weird world of everyday liquids - I’m always liked these kind of images. There are videos worth viewing too.

Coursera - December 2014

Several courses finished in November: Modern and Contemporary Poetry from University of Pennsylvania, What Future Education from University of London, and Childbirth: A Global Perspective from Emory University. It is hard to compare them because they were so different. I enjoyed the variety of them…and looked forward to each week of new material. Earlier in my life, I chose courses largely based on the ‘fit’ toward my career goals. Now - the decision is based totally on my interests and I am discovered that my interests are very broad!

Two of the courses that started in October, continued through all of November and into December as well.

Water: The Essential Resource from National Geographic Society. The course is focused on teaching the topic to 4th-8th graders. I’ve learned some new things about the topic and about teaching.

Philosophy and the Sciences from the University of Edinburgh. The first part of the course was about cosmology and the second is about cognitive science. The presentations are informative about the science and thought provoking about the relationship between science and philosophy in these two areas.

Two new courses started in November and continue into December.

Origins - Formation of the Universe, Solar System, Earth, and Life from University of Copenhagen. The Cosmology section of the Philosophy and Sciences course dovetailed very well with the first weeks of the Origins course. Both presentations were very well done. At this point of the course, the discussion is on the ‘life’ part.  The snowball earth theory, impact of mass extinctions, and new DNA/molecular analysis to compare life forms are all new since I got my undergraduate degree in biology!

Recovering the Humankind’s Past and Saving the Universal Heritage from Sapienza University of Rome. This course has just started and is the only course that will continue through to January. I am already bracing myself; it will seem odd to only have one course for a few weeks! The first week of the course was thought provoking - pointing out the indications we have that people have not always viewed history or remains of prior cultures in the same way.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 29, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The Chemistry of Ginger – Flavour, Pungency & Medicinal Potential - This article from ‘Compound Interest’ was timely - with my new favorite winter drink being hot ginger water!

This Menacing Carnivorous Plant Time-lapse Is a Horror Movie for Bugs - I remember sending off for a tiny Venus fly trap plant when I was in elementary school - fascinated by the idea of plants that ate bugs. Now I am even more fascinated by the chemistry behind the rapid action the plant takes to trap the bug! The video is under 4 minutes in length - worth a look.

Scientists study effects of sunlight to reduce number of nearsighted kids - There is still research to be done to fully understand the relationship between outdoor time and nearsightedness…but there is enough evidence already to encourage more outdoor time for children to reduce the lifetime risk of nearsightedness.  The ages between 5 and 9 seem to be critical.

Urban Cartography - This is a collection of maps. My favorite is the mapping of sea level rise on the south part of South Bay (San Francisco). Lots of tech company headquarters are in the vulnerable zone with relatively little rise in sea level.

Gifted men and women define success differently, 40-year study finds - From the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth conducted at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development.  The study involved over 1600 people that were well established in their careers and lives. Collectively they had published 85 books and 7,572 refereed academic articles and secured 681 patents and $358 million in grants. Their scores on measures of emotional well-being, life satisfaction, personal and career direction, and satisfaction with their relationships were universally high. Then the gender differences become more apparent in other areas such as career path, salary, time allocation, priorities, and family. The finding that both the mathematically talented men and women in the study were ‘happy’ says something good about their resilience and the cultural environment.

Update: American Farm Bureau Federation et al. v. EPA Oral Arguments - This update caught my eye because it was about the Chesapeake Bay - something close to home. There is a Total Maximum Daily Load program for the Chesapeake Bay which is coordinated by the EPA in collaboration with the states whose watershed feeds into the bay.

Gingerbread Molasses Scones - Yum! I made these this week. The only changes I made to the ingredients were 1) whole wheat flour instead of plain flour and 2) no topping. I also used the food processor to mix everything. I did the kneading right in the big pan, cut the pieces of dough, separated them a little, and into the oven they went.

These Parasitic Wasps Trick Trees into Building Them Weird Houses - The oak tree hosts quite a few gall wasps. The video show some of the variety.

An Astounding History of Scientific Space Art from the Past 200 Years - Imaginings of other places….

The Complete Crocodilian Primer - Links to articles about the all the different kinds of crocodiles.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 15, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.  (Note: There are a lot of planetary science/astronomy related new items this week….a perfect storm with conferences and events).

Mars spacecraft, including MAVEN, reveal comet flyby effects on Martian atmosphere - We were in Florida to see the launch (see picture at right) of MAVEN last fall and I’ve been noticing any articles of it since then.

Baby photos of a scaled-up solar system - My daughter is one of the co-authors! I’m celebrating that her work is getting the publicity.

All 'quantum weirdness' may be caused by interacting parallel worlds, physicist theorizes - This article seemed to fit right in with the last cosmology segment of the Philosophy and the Sciences Coursera course!

Touchdown! Rosetta’s Philae probe lands on comet - Hurray! It is amazing that it actually landed…more news sure to come.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is likely a sunburn, not a blush - Altitude may play a role in the color we observe on Jupiter. The red spot reaches much higher altitudes than clouds elsewhere on Jupiter.

Sense of meaning and purpose in life linked to longer lifespan - The questionnaire used something called ‘eudemonic wellbeing’ which relates to your sense of control, feeling that what you do is worthwhile and your sense of purpose in life…..and then looked at what happened to people with different levels of ‘wellbeing’ for the next 8.5 years.

Chiricahua National Monument Does Away With Entrance Fees - I am paying attention to every near Tucson since I’m sure we’ll be visiting sometime before next summer.

Scientists Discover a Virus That Makes Humans Less Intelligent - Specifically - “The group that harbored the virus performed worse overall on a set of tasks to measure the speed and accuracy of visual processing.”  The impact is slight but measurable. I wonder what other subtle infections exist.

Kilauea, 1790 and today - The eruption in 1790 was explosive but the eruptions of the last 3 decades we are seeing now is effusive. The geologic record shows that the mountain erupts in both ways ---- but not at the same time.

New state level data demonstrate geographical variation in 10-year cardiovascular risk - Where does you r state rank? There is quite a variation.

Unique Roman relief discovered: Depiction of unknown god in Turkey; Relics from 2,000 years of cult history excavated - An international excavation that has been ongoing for over 10 years is still finding new things.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 08, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Americans' view on obesity is changing: Fewer adults see it as a personal problem of bad choices - A survey asked 50,000 US adults and 50,000 healthcare professionals whether they viewed obesity primarily as a personal problem of bad choices, a community problem of bad food and inactivity, or a medical problem. How would you have answered? For myself - I chose to think of it as a personal problem when I got close being obese and have now been back in the normal range for about 1.5 years because of the lifestyle changes I made. However - I am willing to admit that I benefited from a work environment that encouraged increasing physical activity and a nutrition course on Coursera that honed my knowledge of foods. Both of those would be in the ‘community’ realm.

A Wild Ride: 50 Years of the US Wilderness Act - Reflection on the US Wilderness Act by a Fellow at the International League of Conservation Photographers (includes some great pictures)

'Aging well' must be a global priority, experts say - I liked the very last line in this story: “…think about the benefits that an older, healthier, happier, and more productive older population can bring to society as a whole.” An interesting statistic: by 2020, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years.

Why paper is a necessity - From Richard Watson.

A Stunning View of Sunlit Seas on Titan - A montage of images of Saturn’s moon Titan from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #73 - Which picture do you like the best in this collection? I like the sandhill cranes (toward the end).  I was thrilled to get a picture of some sandhill cranes in Florida (below - Orlando airport's cell phone lot)

What do American babies eat? A lot depends on Mom's socioeconomic background - I was surprised that he study found that some 6-12 month olds were being fed candy, ice cream, sweet drinks and French fries. Are pediatricians and health professionals not stressing dietary needs of babies to new mothers?

A Fascinating Documentary on Crows, One of the World's Smartest Animals - One researcher calls crows “feathered apes”

Climate, emerging diseases - It is difficult to establish a direct link between climate change and evolution of pathogens…mostly because both climate change and pathogens are very complex. But there are emerging or re-emerging diseases being studied that can be statistically linked to environmental changes. 

Incredible New Artifacts Found In 2,000-Year-Old Mexican Tunnel - Even in an area that is well known from an archeological stand point…..there are new finds. This one seems spectacular.  I remember going to Teotihuacan in the mid-1960s and climbing the pyramids. Now there will be even more to see there.

Coursera Experience - November 2014

There are a lot of courses that are continuing into November from September and October.

Modern & Contemporary American Poetry. The most time-consuming of the courses. The close reading videos of the instructors and TAs are worth the time. I may not like all the poetry styles but the course has broaden by awareness of poetry that either had not been written or was not presented when I was in college in the 1970s.

What future for education? - I am enjoying the interviews that are the core of the videos for the course but the big item I’ve learned from this course is about the importance of reflection before and after learning experiences. I’ve changed by behavior to include reflection before and after Coursera videos for each course. Sometimes the instructors have prompting questions that make it easy and sometimes I have to invent my own. I’ve also incorporated the idea into my nature hikes for children: asking what they know about the topic of the hike before we set out….and then prompting question about something new they learned or why it was important.

Childbirth: A Global Perspective - This course has a very good mix of summary statistics and case studies for individual countries around the world. The big take away for me has been how linked childbirth issues are related to other issues like the status of women in the society, the medical infrastructure, and obesity (the overabundance of food) or malnutrition (too little food).

Water: The Essential Resource - There is a lot of interest in water around the world - and where the amount of water is changing either because of climate change, pollution, or depletion. The class focuses on a curriculum for California schools but is broadly applicable. There are great resources for case studies.  I’ve already been able to apply some of the ideas in nature hikes for school children about soil/erosion and water runoff around schools.

Philosophy and the Sciences - I’m always impressed with the way University of Edinburgh brings together instructors with complementary backgrounds to present the material in their MOOCs. The course is divided into two sections to demonstrate the relationship between philosophy and the sciences: cosmology and cognitive science. We are still in the cosmology part of the course. Last week half the lecture was done with the instructor writing on a white board….just like in a physical class (but without having to peer around the head of the person in front of you!).

Fortunately - three of the courses will be ending in November because two more are starting!

Recovering the Humankind Past and Saving the Universal Heritage - This one is just now posting materials.

Origins - Formation of the Universe, Solar System, Earth and Life - I didn’t realize when I signed up that this course would mesh with the Philosophy and Sciences course!  It will be starting about the time the segment on cosmology ends.

Gleanings of the Week Ending October 18, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Corruption of health care delivery system?  - Most of us probably realize - at least occasionally - that the US healthcare system is a profit-driven service industry, where commercial interests overcome just about everything. I know that I don’t trust my doctor as much now as I did 20 years ago! Unfortunately - this study was more about documenting the problem rather than suggesting a solution.

Video Proof That Cats Are Furry Work Saboteurs - Fun! Anyone that has a computer and a cat can identify with the antics in this video.

These Are the 100 Most Interesting Geologic Spots In The British Isles - From the Geological Society.  The site that the article highlights is here.

Two posts about things Tucson….where I may travel later this year: Rehabbing Trails in Saguaro National Park and Surpassing Expectations Tucson Streetcar Ridership Enjoys Great Beginning

These Mirrors Are Part of the Biggest Space Telescope - The silver and gold mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope

Conservation and Food Security: The $115 Billion Question - Increasing focus is on crop wild relatives (CWRs) - plans that are closely related to domestic agricultural crops. Over the past 30 years, at least 60 CWRs have contributed more than 100 beneficial traits to 13 major crops such as wheat, rice, tomato, and potato.

Yosemite Nature Notes: Monarchs and Milkweed - A short video about milkweed and all the insects (and birds) that come to it.  Are you ready to go out and plant some milkweed?

South Australia Achieves 100% Renewable Energy for a Whole Working Day - So - it can be done. How long will it be before some part of the US is able to do this?

Photo Break: America Puts on Its Fall Colors - I couldn’t resist at least one ‘fall’ post this week. Our area of Maryland is quite colorful.

Gleanings of the Week Ending October 11, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Grandchildren—The Dessert of Life - I loved the sentiment and phrase ‘dessert of life’!

Three Technological Innovations that Could End Asphalt as We Know it - Solar roadways and glow-in-the dark paths - very clever.

Haunting Cave Paintings in Indonesia Are the Oldest in the World - Symbolic expression developed in Asia and Europe about the same time (almost 40 thought years ago). A new dating technique using the mineral deposits on top of the paintings was used for dating the Indonesian paintings.

Active aging is much more than exercise - Think broadly about what ‘active’ means. It’s all about everyday lives, quality of life, and general health. Older people are not homogenous. Being interested in something other than illness and aches seems to be an important component too.

Are we hard-wired to doodle? - I hope so!

5 Festive Pumpkin Recipes for Fall - I like pumpkin and am always looking for new recipes this time of year. There is something dramatic about cooking a whole pumpkin and then using the bounty in old and new recipes. Last year my favorite recipe was Pumpkin Ginger Scones. This year I will try the Pumpkin Bread Pudding in this post….although I am thinking maple syrup rather than caramel sauce! I already make pumpkin soups (sometimes with peanuts…sometimes with other nuts).

The History of the English Language in One Chart - Lots of additions along the way. No language is completely static.

The expert guide to space colonies - A preview to a topic of the BBC Future’s World-Changing Ideas Summit that will be held later this month.

Watch Over 100 Baby Turtles Make It to the Sea - Just a little over a minute....worth a look!

10 research tips for finding answers online - We all have techniques we have developed over time - but tips like these give us a chance to benchmark what we do and perhaps do some refresh. Often judging the quality if what we find is the hardest part.

Gleanings of the Week Ending September 27, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

An Astronaut’s Guided Video Tour of Earth - Worth the 3-4 minutes to watch!

Toxic “Toupee”: Explaining the Most Venomous Caterpillar in the U.S. - I’m glad they don’t live in Maryland!

Do wearable lifestyle activity monitors really work? - The Fitbit has certainly caused me to increase my level of physical activity since I got my first one in June 2010. For the first few years I used it to monitor my sleep; I sleep consistently and well so I no longer wear it at night….but the steps and floors measurements are still something I check every day!

Nine fats to include in a healthy diet - A list from the Institute of Food Technologists.

This Is How You Make Art from Microscopic Forms - Diatom art….and video about how it is done!

6 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder - A list for educators….but the suggestions seem valid for other professions as well.

Sugar Substitutes, Gut Bacteria, and Glucose Intolerance - Artificial sweeteners may have an unexpected - and not positive - effect.

American Farmers Are Growing Old, With Spiraling Costs Keeping Out Young - The average age of principal farm operators is now 58 years old in the US. I’m thrilled that the farmer at my CSA is young and seems to have a successful enterprise.

The secrets of the desert aircraft ‘boneyards’ - A few years ago I took the bus tour of The Boneyard at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson. The aerial view was a different perspective than we got from the bus window!

Planetary atmospheres and climate: An interview with Dr. Jonathan Mitchell - Interests and adventures in planetary science - there is a lot to do!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 2, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The Atmospheres of the Solar System - An infographic rom Andy Brunnig

Are Crows Smarter Than Children? - The study showcases crows - ‘the Einsteins of the bird world.’

Pesticide linked to three generations of disease: Methoxychlor causes epigenetic changes - This study shows that some of the effects of man-made environmental changes go far beyond the time horizon we normally study in ‘safety’ trials.

Nearly 750,000 U.S. Weapons Are Unaccounted For In Afghanistan - Bad news. Will we seek to ‘clean up’ better in future conflicts?

The Lunar Surface as you’ve Never Seen It Before - For some reason, my first impression was that it looked like layers of thick finger paint.

Opossums and Gardening: A Few Things to Know - It turns out that they are mostly helpful!

A Post-Antibiotic Future? - A scary prospect. There was also another study about long term heal trends that was also unsettling: Life expectancy gains threatened as more older Americans suffer from multiple medical conditions.

Simple Meal-Planning Strategies for the Plant-Based Kitchen - These strategies make sense in every kind of kitchen! The CSA had changed my shopping pattern somewhat this summer but I have always tried to only make one trip to the grocery store per week.

Landmark Buildings That Were Never Supposed to Last This Long - Tidbits of history through buildings.

Drought Is Parching the United States from Underground, Too - Looks like water is going to become more precious - both on the surface and in the aquifers.

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 7, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Now that I am taking an Exoplanets on Coursera, I am noticing a lot of articles in my news feeds about them: 'Neapolitan' exoplanets come in three flavors, Astronomers discover two new worlds orbiting ancient star next door: One may be warm enough to have liquid water, First light for SPHERE exoplanet imager: Revolutionary new VLT instrument installed, Astronomers find a new type of planet: The 'mega-Earth', Diamond planets may be more common than astronomers thought, Super Earths Found Circling Ancient Star, Harsh space weather may doom potential life on red-dwarf planets, and The Closest Known Potentially Habitable Planet Is 13 Light-Years Away

Exploring the Parks: Musings from El Morro National Monument - Always a nice reminder to see a story about a place I’ve been and enjoyed!

Hundreds of "Hidden" Paintings Discovered at Angkor Wat - Using de-correlation stretch analysis on walls with traces of pigments.

Is the food industry really concerned with obesity? If people eat less, profits will decline - Consumers have to be savvy enough to see the healthy food that gets shifted to the background by marketing of (mostly unhealthy) processed foods.

Are your pets disturbing your sleep? You’re not alone - We have two cats. I ignore them during the night and early morning but my husband responds to their nudges to be scratched…..and so they now ask for more scratches during the night (my husband reports this while I sleep through it all)!

New Desalination Technologies Spur Growth in Recycling Water - Desalination is not just for seawater. The technology is also important for reusing agricultural water and industrial effluent.

Views of Venice - Art Added to Street View Imagery of Venice - This article is on a ‘tools for teachers’ site but the visuals over the google street view are fun for everyone. Visit the site and click on the ‘menu’ button in the upper right to see the art work that can be overlaid of the street view.

Wind Turbines and Birds: What’s the Real Story? - Bats are impacted too. The key question still seems to be - how can we develop wind turbines that avoid the negative impacts to biodiversity (and avian/bat mortality).

A Complete Primer for All the Species of Cats - A collection of a series of posts about species of wild cats.

New health services needed for rise in 100-year-olds - With more people living to 100 years and beyond - the need to hone health services(particularly palliative care) for them is becoming more important.

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 10, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Dynamic Paintings of Birds Capture the Essence of Flight - Appealing work.  I usually like photographs of birds in flight better than paintings….but these are an exception.

The Coming Antibiotic Crisis, Revealed in Maps - Will we eventually revert to infections that kill like in pre-antibiotic days?

Inside Turkey’s Top Archaeological Sites - From the Dialogue of Civilizations: Gobekli Tepe (oldest human-constructed ceremonial site in the world) and Zeugma (mosaics). Links are included to photos, galleries and virtual tours of the sites. There is also a link at the bottom of the article to other posts about the Dialogue of Civilizations.

10 Spring Cleaning to Dos for Your Digital Abode: Part II - I posted the Part I of this list a few weeks ago I my cleanings list.

Basic science finds corporate refuge - With funding from the US government declining, corporations are picking up some of the funding shortfall.

A History of Garbage in Space - In just over half a century, we’ve created 17000 objects in earth orbit. The majority of them are ‘fragmentation debris.’

What's Your Major? 4 Decades of College Degrees, In 1 Graph - This is a graphic to looks at - move the cursor over it to get numbers that correspond to the colors. Click on the one and a graph with just that major will appear. Physics is almost non-existent in the graph (higher in 1970 than now).

Watch Stunning First Simulation of Universe’s 13-Billion-Year Evolution - In a little over 4 minutes, a simulation of the universe from the beginning to now.

Ocean acidity is dissolving shells of tiny snails off U.S. West Coast - Scientists has previously thought it would be decades before this result of ocean acidification would be observed. It appears that this is one consequence of climate change that is happening faster than anticipated.

Neuroaesthetics - A relatively new field that studies the way humans process beauty and art.